Have you ever heard that old saying about idle hands being the devil’s playground? Paulo Camasmie of Catrike definitely has. Over the past year, he has redesigned every trike in his line from the ground up. While I think everyone would agree that the new trikes are much-improved over the old versions, the constant change has been a bit frustrating for dealers and recumbent web site owners. However, it is hard to fault a guy for being a perfectionist that just wants to get it right.

When I visited the Catrike factory in February I was able to ride the 2005 Speed. This was by far the best Catrike that I’d ever ridden and Paulo was justly proud of his work. He said that he had pronounced it “done” and wouldn’t mess with it significantly in the future. Work was still continuing on the Road but Paulo seemed confident that he would be similarly pleased with that machine once it was finished. However, I could tell that he really couldn’t wait to get to work on the 2005 Pocket.

During that February visit, there was still a large pile of the 2004 spec Pockets waiting to be shipped out. These diminutive trikes had been selling well at $1495 and were good for their intended purpose. They were fine little trikes for blasting around on bike paths. But at speed their flaws became more apparent. Many people (our own Larry Varney NOT among them) found them to be more than a little bit twitchy and felt that they had too much brake steer. The small footprint was nice for putting the Pocket in the back of a mini-van but it never felt quite right on the road. If any trike in the Catrike line needed Paulo’s attention it was the Pocket.

Well now the time has come for the baby of the Catrike family to come into its own. The shiny new 2005 Pocket that arrived on my doorstep last week was barely recognizable when compared to the last iteration. Paulo has stretched the wheelbase and track slightly and increased the wheelsize. The changes aren’t major but they add up to give the trike an entirely new look.

While he was redesigning every product he makes, Paulo was also revamping his production facilities. (We have no idea where he gets the time but I suspect that a clone or two may be involved.) All of the frame heat-treating and powdercoating are now done in house. Several smaller parts that used to be outsourced are now made within the walls of Catrike’s Florida facility. And if perfection in quality control was what Paulo was aiming at, he’s come very close. Craftsmanship seems to be getting better and better in the recumbent industry but the fit and finish on our Pocket test trike was as good as or better than anything we’ve ever seen on a full production recumbent. The welds were very clean for an aluminum frame and the powdercoat was flawless. The level of craftsmanship was even more impressive when you consider that the Pocket is one of the least expensive tadpole trikes on the market.

The components used on the Pocket are also much better than you would expect for this price. Catrike uses a Shimano 105 crankset, SRAM 5.0 shifters and derailleurs, Avid 5 disc brakes and Schwalbe Marathon tires. That’s not bad for a $1495 trike. Hell… It’s not bad for a $1750 trike (which is what the Pocket will cost in 2006).

Some of these components were a bit finicky on our test trike. The rear derailleur came very close to touching the ground and the front derailleur wasn’t meant for road cranks. I managed to make everything work fine but it took more than a small amount of adjusting and tweaking. Catrike has addressed these concerns with some mid-season spec changes.

Paulo Camasmie has a well-justified malice towards Shimano and uses as few of their parts as possible. Probably the biggest downside to using SRAM components is the inability to use bar-end shifters. SRAM derailleurs only work with SRAM’s own twist shifters. This means that you either have to shift with your ring finger and pinkie or move your hand down the grip every time you want to shift. It’s definitely not the best ergonomic arrangement possible but I’ve never been as vehemently opposed to it as some people are.

The Pocket is “pocket-sized” but it’s not as tiny as its predecessor. It’s not a trike that I would recommend to a true clydesdale but it should fit a fairly wide range of riders. Probably the biggest limiting factor is the width of the trike’s seat. The Pocket’s seat is a bit narrower than that on the Road or Speed. I didn’t find it to be any sort of detriment but some larger riders might. I was very comfortable on the Pocket. The hand position is a bit higher and farther back than that on a Greenspeed or ICE but it was far from annoying. The Pocket’s bottom bracket height belies Catrike’s sporty nature but it wasn’t extreme.

“Sporty” is also a great way to describe the Pocket’s handling. It’s certainly MUCH more stable than the last-generation Pocket, but it’s a bit more lively than some other tadpoles. In parking lots and on bike paths, the Pocket is an absolute blast. I was expecting it to be fairly tippy but it wasn’t.

The liveliness was still present on high speed descents but I wasn’t afraid to tackle any of our local steep and twisties. The Pocket only has a tiny amount of brake steer and it tracks straight as an arrow.

The Pocket’s low weight also helps it get back up the other side of those hills. A sub-30 pound trike is a rare thing. It’s even rarer still to find one at this pricepoint. Combine this low weight with an equally low gear range and it you get a real mountain goat of a trike.

The biggest detriment to the Pocket’s performance is its 355mm wheels. This isn’t because they are inherently evil. There just simply aren’t that many tire choices available in that size. The Schwalbe Stelvio isn’t really durable enough for a recreational/general purpose trike and the Schwalbe Marathon (that Catrike currently specs) is tough but not at all fast. Luckily there is a new tire on the way that will hopefully solve the problem. It’s from (surprise, surprise) Schwalbe and is called the Marathon Racer. It will offer much of the same puncture protection that the other Marathons do but will have a smooth tread and faster rolling compound.

Editor’s note – Don’t be surprised to see a few Pockets slip out the door with 406 wheels. This is a temporary fix to a supply problem. 355 remains the stock wheel size for this trike in 2006.

Catrike has also gotten their accessory line-up fairly well straightened out. You can now buy fenders, racks and headrests to fit the new Pocket or any other trike in the line-up. And after a few somewhat erratic months, it looks like Catrike has finally gotten their MSRP’s nailed down. This should make customers and dealers very happy.

For the 2005 model year, Catrike’s biggest problem was meeting demand. The constant redesigns were a big part of this. Now that the company has their designs fairly well established and has hashed out some issues with suppliers this shouldn’t be a major issue. In fact, they should be able to pump out as many trikes as they need to and offer a few custom color options next season.

I just hope that they planned in some wiggle room with their order projections. Orders for the Pocket are sure to stretch their production capacity. It’s a light and spunky little trike with good handling and good comfort. Once the tires are upgraded (supposedly coming in December) the Pocket should be a pretty fast machine. Add in Catrike’s excellent build quality and you have a trike that is sure to please A LOT of potential buyers.